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Rogue ‘Terminators’ may kill within years

AUTONOMOUS “Terminator” weapons systems that can kill without human intervention will be in use within years unless a global treaty is agreed to ban them, a leading science ethicist will say today.

Wendell Wallach, of Yale University’s interdisciplinary centre for bioethics, will warn that technological advances that have led to driverless cars and artificial intelligence have now made killer robots a reality. His predictions echo those of other scientists and engineers, including Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk.

Wallach will call for the creation of ethical committees, similar to those that oversee medical trials, to ensure that research into artificial intelligence is closely monitored. He also wants a presidential order to declare that lethal autonomous weapons systems violate international law.

“One of the concerns voiced by critics of military robots is the prospect that robotic weaponry will lower the psychological barriers to starting wars. Another major concern is that robotic fighting